||Episode 1 - Part II: It was a Dream||

*Destiny Islands* ... [Destiny Islands]

The island breeze was so very mesmerizing. It blew all across the islands, passing on the pleasant scent of the salty ocean. And the great blue sea was endless. Plenty of it went around, encircling these islands and speaking its mind with every splash of the waves. There, in the blue sky, were hardly any clouds. White and fluffy clouds remained at a far distances, but none of them threatened to bring in a storm. It was reason enough to stand out in the shallow water, barefoot and absorbing the sunshine.

"Same sky. Same sea." I grinned and took in a deep breath. Here I stood, dressed in my black tank top and green capri pants, and enjoying my time on the beach.

Waking up in the morning to the same scene wasn't the worst to ever happen. Living on Destiny Islands, I found it to be a nice place to be. But, to think... My content smile faded, dropping to a mild frown as I continued to stare out at the open horizon. Was that place just made up? Maybe it was all apart of my imagination. It felt so real, and yet I find myself back on the islands the moment I open my eyes. The darkness was not at all present- only light. I narrowed my eyes in disbelief. There was no way it could have been a dream.

"Whatcha doin', Lu?"

Hearing his voice came as a bit of a surprise. Peering over my shoulder, I saw Riku walking over to me. He was tall- most girls on the islands would describe him as a handsome guy- and he had shoulder-length hair that was as silver as steel. I gave him a smile and turned back around to face the ocean. My thought was that Sora and Kairi were somewhere else on the island, probably near the dock on the other beach. Well, it was good to see one of my friends this morning, at least.

"The wind feels good, you know." I strained a smile, but Riku couldn't see the difficulty I was having with keeping it up. It was better that he not be concerned if there were possibly something serious on my mind. Well, there was, but I didn't have the nerve to share about it. Instead of leading on about my own problems, I steered the conversation in a more hopeful direction. I opened my arms and spread them out to my sides as though they were wings. "I hope the wind carries us someplace like this."

"Eh?" Riku raised a brow and put his hands on his hips. The tone in his voice told me that he was not the most intrigued in my thought. "You going on about that again? I dunno where we'll end up. We'll just have to find out when we get there."

"True..." I nodded slowly, releasing my arms from the pose. Turning on my heels in the watered sand, I splashed my way back to the cove's shore and joined Riku over by the pile of wood where we were going to do some building. "So, are we going to finish the raft today?"

However, Riku gestured with his thumb to the other direction. I assumed that he was referring to the other side of the island, but then I realized that it must have been "someone" over on the other side of the island. Two someones seemed more like the idea he was getting at. More likely than not, Sora was slacking off on a day of work. Kairi was most likely getting onto his back about it, but I wondered if they got wrapped into another conversation about our plans to build the raft. "Heh, let's go see what they're up to!"

間

"Whoa! Gimme a break, Kairi..."

"Why am I not surprised? I caught you slacking off again."

"Was not! This huge, black... THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't- Ow!"

"Geez, are you still sleeping? Must've been a crazy dream."

"It wasn't a dream! Or was it? I don't know..."

間

Riku and I were walking down the shoreline from the cove. He had a log under his arm as we made our way to our other friends. They were nearby; I could see Sora sitting in the sand and Kairi looking out at the ocean. Their moment together reminded me of Riku checking in with me only a little bit ago. It was amusing to see them like that. I got a feeling that it'd be worth teasing them about it later on. Was Riku getting the same idea? Hopefully.

"Say, Kairi," Sora started. "What was your hometown like? You know, the place you grew up as a kid."

"I've told you before." Kairi walked around Sora to stand by the shore. It was a conversation we all had with her a few times before. Those times, we never could get an answer out of her that wasn't another- "I don't remember."

"Nothing at all? 'Cause I thought ya might've remembered a little bit after so long..."

"Not one thing."

"Do ya ever wanna go back?"

"Well... I'm happy here! But I wouldn't mind going to see it."

Of course, this time was no different. Kairi came from another world. That was the fact we were all faced with when she first arrived on Destiny Islands, washed up on the beach. Sora and Riku were the ones who found her that night. I hadn't any fond memories of the time, though. There was a good reason for it, but... Well, I just couldn't figure out how to explain it to my friends. At least they knew what kind of a situation I was in. No memories and such. The real question was: Did I even belong to this world?

I sighed and continued to listen to the typical "Q & A" between our younger friends. Though my mind was yearning to trickle back to my own dilemma and what it all meant for me, I pushed the thoughts away to focus on the current matter. The four of us were in the middle of a crucial schedule. Morning was just about over, which meant that we didn't have all that much time to accomplish today's tasks.

"I'd like to see it, too!" Sora's loud voice and excitement mingled with my own feelings of enthusiasm. "Along with any other world out there. I wanna see 'em all!"

"What're we waiting for?" Kairi turned around with a wide grin on her face. It was like she was waiting for him to say that. "Let's go together!"

"Ahem!"

I cleared my throat and put my hands on my hips. Let's go together. Unfortunately, it seemed like Riku and I were being cut out of the picture. Those two couldn't possibly be thinking of leaving us behind on the islands to see the outside world alone. Sure, Sora knew a thing or two about sailing. We all had our own boats to row down to these smaller islands. I was certain that neither of them could manage a big raft, especially without anymore muscle. It'd sadden me if they failed, too.

"Hey..." Riku narrowed his eyes. His expression looked serious and even a little hurt. But, I knew better. He was only going to kid around with them rather than give them a terrible scolding. Knowing him for as long as I did, I knew that would be the case. "Aren't you leaving a couple of someones out? Geez. It's like we're the only ones serious about building the raft."

Riku tossed the log off to the side as he walked over to Kairi. "Off to the side" meaning on top of Sora. He didn't expect to have it land on him. Sora's reflexes were slow; he failed to catch the log in his arms and fell back in the white sand. I giggled softly and pulled it off of him so he could get up.

"And you've been slacking off just as much as him," Riku pointed his finger at Kairi. "Got anything to say for yourself?"

"Hee hee, so you caught me!" Kairi giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "Okay, we'll build it together. All of us! Race you guys there!"

"That's more like it." Riku plopped down in the sand, next to Sora. We were all in agreement about finishing the raft together. But, we were slow to realize the move that Kairi just pulled on us. "Wait a minute... What are you on about? A race in this heat?"

"Ready... Go!"

The four of us dash down the beach to the other side of the island, back where the raft was to be built. I didn't know who was going to win, but I grinned with every ounce of strength I put in my step. That strange place I was at earlier in the day, and all that about my memories. They were all pushed back to the back of my mind to be held in reserve. I was much too busy enjoying my time with my friends. What did a simple dream matter? Above all, this was where I belonged.